Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “4,722 Hours” Review

29Oct

Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, time to review another episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and today we’ll be talking about episode 5, “4,722 Hours“. So how was tonight’s episode? Well read on and find out. SPOILERS AHEAD!

As usual in these reviews I’m just gonna present the plot and then say what I liked and what I didn’t like. Cool? Okay let’s keep going.

The Plot

After her dramatic rescue from another planet, Simmons is still reeling from her ordeal and reveals how she had to fight for her life in a harsh new world.

What I Liked

All I can say about this episode is that I knew it, I frigging knew it. After episode 3, somewhere in the back of my mind when there was all those theories about what happened to Simmons and why she’d want to go back to the planet, I knew that that a man had to be involved and my heart was broken this week. Regardless of my feelings towards Simmons’ love life, this was a really strong episode.

I was curious beforehand whether this would be an entirely Simmons-focused episode or if it’d be non-linear and jump forward and back in time while she talked to Fitz, but no, this was entirely flashback-based up until the last scene in present day after Simmons recounted her story. This was a smart choice because there were a lot of questions that needed answers and a fair amount of time required just to see what she went through while being stranded in space.

Being stranded alone in a desolate location is nothing new to film or TV, its been done before, but it is the way in which story and character is handled that determines whether it is a strong and engaging experience or not, and this episode was good. We as the audience got see everything straight from the time Simmons got taken away to the point when she was found and a lot went down. Simmons at first was optimistic, even though she was hungry, tired and alone, she didn’t give up hope, kept logs of her movements, and even fought a water-based space monster for food. She was quite resourceful and courageous, but beyond that there was that connection to Fitz, her friend, and a solid believe that he’d find and save her. That was beautiful and showed again why these two are so solid as a pair.

But then Will shows up and from that point I knew something would go down. Having Will Daniels present was great as it gave perspective to how not only how bad the situation gets, but also how the planet works and where one should and shouldn’t go. At first I was curious to see whether this character would be someone I would interesting or not, but he had a great backstory coming from the year 2001 with a research team, then losing all of his comrades and being stranded in space having to survive alone until Simmons came. I love how there was some light-hearted elements to this show with some of the banter between Will and Simmons, but also with Simmons talking to herself as well, but it also didn’t forget about the difficulties of living in a deserted location, how having faith in something/someone can only last for so long and that everyone reaches a breaking point. And after Simmons broke, she found solace in Will and those two… Got it on. I bloody knew it would happen and while I’m happy for Simmons to finally hook up someone, part of me shed a tear for the well and truly friend-zoned Fitz. I like how there was development between Will and Simmons before their eventual hook up, it felt natural and built up from an odd pairing to a trusting bond. So after that I was glad that the episode gave reason for not only why Simmons needed to go back by also how she found her way back to Fitz’s location when he went into the portal for her in episode 2.

As for when Simmons finished her story and it cut to Fitz’s reaction, I probably would have done the same. In that moment I think he was disappointed, saddened and frustrated, but also got over his feelings and chose to do what was right for Simmons and showed on the computer that he was gonna get Will back. Always the good guy (but unfortunately not enough for Simmons). 😥

I loved the look of the planet, the sandy surfaces, rocky mountains and overall aesthetic looked great and I was also curious about the mysterious figure who showed up during the sandstorms. Who or what is it? Does it have powers? How did it kill the other people? Will it kill Will? I want to know! 😛

What I Disliked

My dislikes are mainly nitpicks like how much food did will have? I mean the dude would have needed to ration his food very well to live for 14 years alone in space and then for him to share it with Simmons too? There just couldn’t have been that much food unless there was, I would have liked for that to have been addressed. Also if Will had been alone for that amount of time, wouldn’t he be a little more crazy or off in his personality? No matter how much training you have it does seem like his personality and interaction with Simmons was a little tame.

Conclusion

In conclusion “4,722 Hours” is a pretty good episode and will no doubly go down as one of the best episodes of the season and possibly the whole show for a lot of people. The heavy focus on Simmons on the desolate planet with her highs and lows, struggles and victories made for some engaging, funny and dramatic TV. Oh and if it wasn’t obvious already, I loved Elizabeth Henstridge, she killed it in this episode and Dillon Casey was also great too.

Rating: 8/10

So what did you think of “4,722 Hours“? Did you enjoy it or were you unimpressed? Whatever your thoughts are, be sure to drop them in the comments below and I’ll see you on the next episode review! 😀

2 responses to “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “4,722 Hours” Review”

Hey there! Great review. I caught up on the last two episodes last night. It was nice to get a double dose of AOS. I really liked this episode, maybe if I hadn’t seen some of the super high review scores on other sites my expectations would be lower and I would have loved it. I did love Simmons in this ep. She’s full of hope, a survivor and crazy smart. Focusing only on Simmon’s story was a great idea to show her isolation and desperation. But we guessed correctly she wasn’t alone. I thought she might have suffered more over there because in ep. 3 she’s looked messed up. I feel bad for Fitz that as much as Simmons loves him, her heart belongs to another. I liked how Fitz responded, I mean he’s obviously crushed but he didn’t hesitate to help do what Simmons wanted … to go back to the planet and rescue her boyfriend. Fitz put Simmon’s happiness above everything else. Totally agree, Elizabeth Henstridge killed it!

Howdy man and thanks. Yeah I saw a lot of hype behind this episode before I watched it a day or two later so I was left a little less impressed, though that’s not to say that this episode wasn’t impressive, I just think the hype hampered my experience a little bit. I also felt like Simmons would have suffered more without Will and I assumed we’d see something a little more severe considering how psychologically messed up she was in episode 3. I love your words about Fitz, that guy is committed to the highest degree when it comes to Simmons and that’s something you have to appreciate.